Safe and Sound
by Blue Seidr
Summary: Request for alanleonard8. Post S2. T for safety. April was the one watching over him when he woke. She comforted him, even through her own pain, and something shifted between them. They were no longer close friends. There was something protecting and safe about each other's company, and feelings were reawoken. Feelings for each other. A wish on a star sets those feelings free.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello! Finally got around to that happy oneshot I promised Leo. **

**You can thank alanleonard8 for this two-part oneshot. He PMed asking for a oneshot of this nature, and caused the plot bunnies to start stampeding. This was originally a oneshot, but it worked so much better as a two-part oneshot that I made it so. So you can move on to the next half of the story immediately.**

**Enjoy!**

Safe and Sound - _Part 1_

April reached a pale hand out slowly, hesitantly. Her finger tips brushed smooth, leathery soft skin, and after a brief moment of indecision, she committed and placed her entire hand down. The feeling of the skin was nothing new to her; she had felt it countless times over the past year. But this was different in three ways. One, the skin was brown and blue instead of the usual green. In other words, the skin was bruised, and heavily. Two, the skin wasn't on an arm, or a shoulder, or even a hand. This skin was cheek skin. And three, it wasn't Donnie she was touching this time. This time, it was Leo underneath her fingers.

Not that Leo was aware of this. Leo was unconscious, just like he had been for several hours. Leo had come out of a fight with Shredder and his minions battered, cut, and bruised as shell. He had arrived to them via April's window, and hadn't moved so much as an inch since. They had gotten him to her dad's old van, and they had done the best they could to get him comfortable in the back as they evacuated New York. There wasn't much else they could have done. There were no medical supplies in the van, and they couldn't risk stopping for any during the long drive to April's old family home.

When they had arrived at their destination, they wasted no time in getting him inside. Late fall was already upon them, and with Leo weak as he was, the cold could be fatal. The turtles carried their fallen leader inside, and had gotten him settled on the couch in the huge living room.

The home was just as April had remembered it. An old farmhouse with plenty of room for the 6 teens, and plenty of isolation to keep the secret of the turtles existence. The farmhouse had also come with a fireplace, and soon a cozy fire was blazing, and Leo had been moved as close to the fire as possible. They needed to keep him warm if Leo was going to recover.

Thankfully, there was first aid equipment in the farmhouse. This far out in the middle of nowhere, it was important to keep a surplus of medical supplies so if anything should happen, the inhabitants could treat a wound long enough to get the victim to a hospital. As she had gathered up the stuff, April had thanked her grandmother and father for being so prepared. It was thanks to their caution that Leo had a chance at recovery in this place.

Donnie treated Leo's wounds as best he could, using superglue and bandages to set the crack in Leo's shell; something they didn't have access to when Raph had cracked his when they were kids. After that, Donnie had sighed and said that all they could do know was wait. The brothers hadn't wanted to leave their brothers side. Neither had April, guilt eating away at the insides of her stomach, and Casey didn't want to leave April, so the five ended up sitting around the fire in silence, each lost in their own thoughts, April wrapping herself in guilt.

This was all her fault. The invasion, her father mutating, Master Splinter. Leo getting hurt . . .

Casey had been the first to break, claiming exhaustion and going upstairs to stake a claim for his room. No one followed him, continuing their vigil over Leo and the dancing flames of the warm fire.

Then Mikey, try as he might, had faded off. It had been a long, trying day for everyone. Even the incarnation of the Energizer Bunny was exhausted. Raph convinced him to head up to bed, and followed Mikey to make sure he actually got there. He hadn't come back down, and Donnie went up and confirmed that Raph had fallen asleep sitting on Mikey's chosen bed.

So it was just Donnie, April, and, of course, Leo.

The sky outside grew darker, the fire grew brighter as more fire wood was added, and bodies scooted closer to the fire as the temperature dropped (blankets piled on in Leo's case). The hours slipped by, until finally, Donnie yawned. After a long debate and a promise to wake him if Leo's condition changed, April convinced Donnie to head to bed. He needed the rest. While in fairly good shape, the farmhouse would most likely need repairs, and Donnie was the most capable person, er, turtle, for the job. Yawning a goodnight, Donnie had trudged up the stairs and disappeared for the night.

Alone at last.

The minute Donnie was upstairs, April stole a blanket from the closet and draped it over herself, attempting to keep warm. She then pulled up a chair from a corner, and sat it at Leo's side, crisscrossing her legs beneath her.

She had never seen him so beat up. Even the time when Shredder had attacked the four, Leo hadn't been this bad. Now, bruises made up 75% of his skin. Cuts slashed across his arms and legs, and scratches had been carved into his shell, evidence of sword strikes that had been deflected by Leo's natural armor. A huge bruise had formed on the side of Leo's head, and, worst of all, Leo's shell had cracked at his left shoulder, like Raph's. Donnie had mended it, but odds were he would live with that scar for the rest of his life.

April reached her hand out slowly, hesitantly. Her finger tips brushed smooth, leathery soft skin, and after a brief moment of indecision, she committed and placed her entire hand down, cupping Leo's cheek. A shiver ran up April's arm, and her heart buzzed in delight. April bit her lip and shook it off. It was nothing. Absolutely nothing.

Absent-mindedly, April began rubbing circles on Leo's cheek. She didn't know why, she just felt like doing it. Her hand traveled as she did, moving from his cheek to his scalp.

As she did, Leo let out a low moan. April froze. "Leo?" She whispered.

Leo didn't answer, but instead shifted, face tensing with pain, and a gasp whistling through his lips.

"Leo?" This time, April was awarded with another moan. Eyelids fluttered, and weary sapphire blue eyes peered out through narrow slits.

"Ah'rl?" He groaned, eyes moving slowly through a haze of pain.

"Yeah, Leo. It's me."

"Wa'er." He gasped. His throat. His throat was burning, and it was dry as a desert. He needed water.

"Water? Okay, okay, give me a second." April jumped up and padded to the kitchen. Praying that the water was still on and she could find a cup, she scoured the cupboards and managed to find a not-too-dusty glass. She filled it with cold tap water and speed-walked back to Leo.

Now how to give it to him without Leo choking?

Setting the glass down on the floor, she gently lifted Leo's head, doing her best not to jostle him, and slipped underneath him so his head was in her lap. She grabbed the water and pressed the edge of the glass between his lips, then angled it so the water slowly slide into Leo's mouth. He drank it greedily, anxious to sooth the fire in his throat.

One glass of water later, Leo pulled back, and April sat the glass back down. With nowhere else to put her hands, she laid one on the arm of the couch, and one lightly on Leo's chest.

"Where - where are we?" Leo asked softly, his voice stronger already.

"My old family home. We - we had to leave New York." April told him, her throat beginning to tighten. It was her fault. She brought Irma to the Lair, she caused the invasion to begin.

"Where are the others?"

"Upstairs asleep." _Mostly._ April thought. She shifted, feeling guilty, and Leo sucked in a breath as a wave of pain flowed over him from that small action.

"Oh, Leo! I'm sorry!" April apologized, stiffening to avoid jostling him further.

" 'S'okay. I'm fine." Leo reassured through gritted teeth.

"No, you're not. Here, I'll get up." April offered.

"And move me even more?" Leo smiled wanly.

April paused. "Good point. But you can't lie on my lap forever."

"Why can't I? You're warm and comfortable" Leo complained in a sleepy voice.

April blushed, not really sure why, and retorted, "Because I'll eventually have to get up."

"But not now you don't." Leo yawned, clearly about to fall asleep at any second. Painfully slow, he brought his arms out from under the blankets and sat them on top of his chest, overlapping April's hand, wincing every second as fire blazed from his shoulder.

"Not good enough." April said.

"Please? Just - just let me stay for a couple more minutes?" Leo pleaded.

April sighed and rolled her eyes. "Fine."

Leo grinned sleepily. "Thanks April. You're the best." He shifted slightly, wincing, turned his head so his cheek layed against April's stomach, and shut his eyes.

April felt her face burn once again. She had never had any of the turtles get so close to her. She had never had _anyone_ get so close to her, actually. _I__t's just Leo_, she reminded herself._ Just an injured, sleepy Leo who probably doesn't know what he's saying or doing._

"What happened?" April almost jumped at the sound of Leo's voice again.

"What?"

"What happened after, you know, Shredder . . . " He trailed off, his eyes still closed.

"The Kraang - the Kraang invaded New York." April answered, unable to keep the raw pain out of her voice. "They - they mutated - they mutated everything. The people - animals - plants - my - my dad - " April's voice cracked.

Leo's eyes sprang open, and he looked up at April's face. "Oh, April. I'm - I'm sorry. You - I'm sorry." April felt one of Leo's hands wrap tightly around hers.

April shook her head. "It's not your fault. And - and you need to know - " She swallowed painfully.

"Know what?"

"We - we - we got separated from Master Splinter. We - your brothers saw him fighting Shredder and - and - they - " Tears began forming in her eyes.

Leo recoiled slightly, like he had been slapped. "He's - he's . . . gone?" Leo whispered the last word.

April shook her head. "We - we don't know."

Leo stared up at her with grief-stricken eyes. His master - his _father_ was missing? Because - because of Shredder? No! Not again! Shredder was not going to take away his family again. Splinter was alive; he had to be!

Before he knew what he was doing, he felt hot tears run down his face. He gritted his teeth. He hated crying. Whenever he did, he felt weak and vulnerable, two feelings he hated. A big brother and a leader shouldn't be weak. They were supposed to be strong and comfort the others, not the other way around.

He tried to stop, but he couldn't. It was his fault. He should have beaten Shredder. If he had, Splinter would be with them, alive and safe. Or if he had just made Donnie see that they should have left the city, then the entire invasion wouldn't have happened. If he had been a better leader . . .

April had never seen Leo cry. She had seen him absolutely miserable before, upset and regretful, but never so sad and hurt that he actually cried. She didn't know what to do. Try to comfort him, futile as that may be, or let him keep his pride by pretending she didn't notice?

He was still holding her hand, she noticed. His grip had gotten tighter, and it was almost painful. April twisted her hand, and Leo let go of it quickly. But April grabbed it back, and used her thumb to run the back of Leo's hand in circles. She remembered reading that it had a calming effect on some people.

Leo felt something tracing patterns on his hand, and he looked up up at April in surprise. She looked back down at him, a blush ghosting across her cheeks, and smiled softly. In spite of himself, Leo smiled back, before letting it fall and blinking away the tears that just _would not stop._

April continued rubbing his hand, and Leo felt himself grow calm. He couldn't stop his tears from falling, but he felt safe inside, lying there on April's lap. It was strange. He felt vulnerable, like always, but this time, it didn't feel bad. He felt . . . Protected, which was strange. Usually it was the other way around, Leo protecting April or his brothers or someone. _Being _protected for once . . . It felt good.

* * *

April never did get back up that night, and when Mikey came downstairs that morning, he found April asleep sitting up, Leo sleeping with his head in her lap. Mikey almost hated to wake them (they were so cute!), but he knew Donnie, Casey, or both would have a fit if they saw the two cozy on the couch. So Mikey shook April and Leo up, and they awkwardly moved so Leo was lying on some pillows. That's how everyone else found Leo that morning, and April and Leo didn't breathe a word otherwise.

* * *

**Continue on! The second half is already posted!**


	2. Chapter 2

Safe and Sound - _Part 2_

It had been a week since they had arrived at the farm. Already Leo was recovering fast. He was able to walk with a crutch, and, according to Donnie, none of his wounds looked infected. A bandage remained tight around his shoulder. The plastron was starting to heal, and Donnie didn't want anything to disturb it or cause it to crack again. If it did, they may not be able to get it shut again.

Other than that worry of reinjuring himself, Leo was out of the woods, metaphorically speaking. Literally speaking, he had never been deeper. The farmhouse was surrounded by thick, dense woods that stretched for miles in every direction. You couldn't more than five yards in at any given point, and the shade of the trees projected a sense of mystery.

Ever since he had seen them, Leo had been dying to explore the woods, and when Donnie finally agreed that he could walk around, Leo practically teleported to the door to go to the woods.

Every day since, if you wanted to talk to Leo, you'd have to wait for him to come out of the woods. Immediately after breakfast, he'd grab his crutch and head off into the woods, only emerging for lunch and then finally for dinner.

Leo always went alone. He never asked anyone to come him, when one of them tried to invite themselves along he declined, and anyone who tried to follow him was quickly given the slip.

Therefore, it was a huge surprise when Leo had stopped April right after dinner and invited her to come with him.

"Hey April?" Leo asked, reaching a hand out to grab April's shoulder.

April smiled. "Yeah Leo?"

"I want to show you something. In the woods. I - I found it yesterday and I thought you might want to see it."

"Me?" April asked in shock. "Not Donnie or Raph or Mikey?"

"It's your estate." Leo smirked. "Besides, I want to show _you._" He offered.

April pushed away the implications of this statement. They probably weren't what he meant, right? "All right, I'll come."

For the first time in what seemed like years, Leo beamed. "Great!" He grabbed her hand with his free hand, and pulled her out the door, moving as fast as he could impaired by the crutch. Which was still admittedly fast; April had to jog to keep up. Leo looked over his shoulder and grinned at her as he hurried into the cover of the trees. April smiled back, genuinely feeling happy. The look of pleasure on Leo's face was a sight for sore eyes; April had worried she may have never seen it again after everything.

Six yards into the woods, Leo slowed down, letting April catch up and walk besides him.

"Any reason you had to drag me at light speed in here?"

Was it just her, or the lighting, or did Leo _blush?_ "I didn't want Donnie or Casey to try to follow." He mumbled, staring down at his crutch and the uneven ground intensely.

"Oh." A silence fell over the pair as Leo kept his hold on April's hand and guided her through the woods.

April could see why Leo liked it so much in there. It was dim and comforting compared to the harsh glare of the sunlit meadow surrounding the house. It was quiet, yet loud as the cumulative noise of animals going about their business filled the air. The woods had a calm aura to them, something someone like Leo would, and apparently did, revel in.

They walked through the woods on what seemed to be an invisible path; there was no indication of markers to show where they were going, yet Leo never faltered in his steps.

A breeze blew through the air, and April shivered, drawing nearer to Leo instinctively. Leo noticed, and smiled slightly in a dreamy way.

"How much farther?" She asked.

"Not long. In fact . . . " Leo dragged out. "We should be there . . . Just about . . . . . Now!" He said proudly, gesturing to a large boulder at 12 o'clock.

April cocked her head. "You drug me out here to look at a rock?"

Leo grinned. "Oh, ye of little faith." He tightened his grip on her hand and pulled her gently around the massive boulder. April gasped. The large rock had been concealing a cove; a huge area of land set deep in the ground, with high walls protecting it from the rest of the world. In the middle of the cove sat a crystal clear lake, so clear that April could see the bottom, even from here. Sand and dirt decorated most of the floor, though patches of grass grew here and there. A tall tower of rocks was tucked in one area, perfect for climbing, and a grove of trees grew along a huge portion of the cliff walls. One tree grew over a deep section of the lake, and someone had tied a tire swing to one of the thicker branches. Another ancient, gargantuan tree had grown right up against a section of wall, and someone had constructed a tree house that overlooked the whole cove. It - it -

"Leo. It's beautiful." She gasped.

Leo smiled. "Told you you would want to see this. I'm guessing some of the O'Neil's who lived here before built the tree house and set up the swing."

"Probably. Can we go down?" April asked.

Leo smiled even wider. "I was hoping you'd say that." Leo pointed down, and April noticed natural stone steps to the ground.

"Oh. Duh."

Leo laughed, and, letting go of April's hand, steadily made his way down to the cove, April hot on his heels.

Once April was on the dirt floor, Leo waved to her, and walked over to the base of the tree that held the tree house.

"C'mon! You gotta see this!" He said, and using only his arms, climbing up the ladder nailed to the tree.

"Show off!" April yelled up, and she could have sworn she heard an answering chuckle. Shaking her head with a slight smile, April followed him up the ladder.

She poked her head through an opening in the tree house floor, and saw Leo sitting in a corner by a window. He gestured for her to come over, and April pulled herself up and crawled over, sitting down next to Leo.

"Check out the view." He said softly. April peered out the window and gasped. As they had walked through the woods, the sun had begun to set, and now the sky was a muted blue streaked with orange, purple, pink, and red. Wisps of clouds floated past and were stained with color. The little sunlight left reflected off the lake, and it glittered like a thousand diamonds. It was picture perfect. April leaned closer, and ended up leaning on Leo's shoulder. Realizing this, she jerked back, blushing profoundly for some reason.

"Sorry!"

"It's okay." Leo murmured. Hesitantly, April leaned back in again, resting her head on Leo's shoulder as she looked over the beautiful scene. Leo smiled in delight. The roles of that night a week ago were reversed, yet that same feeling was creeping up on him; vulnerable, but safe and protected.

That night, and that feeling, had puzzled him to no end. He had only been half awake at the time, but he recalled with clarity their conversation, and how he had rested his head in April's lap, closer to her than he had ever been before. He remembered feeling - different, that night, and talking without really thinking things through a filter. Maybe it was just nearly dying and not truly expecting to wake up again. But then there was that protected, secure feeling. He had never felt like that before, not even with his father and brothers. No, with them, he was the one protecting.

Truth be told, he had always felt different around April. He never knew quite why, though. It wasn't like with Karai; he felt brotherly towards Karai. There was a time when he thought it was a crush, but it was merely sibling love. Nothing more than what he felt towards Raph or Mikey or Donnie, nothing less.

April, though. April was different. He got a strange feeling around her. It was like - like a fluttering, in his stomach. He felt dizzy and nervous, but kind of excited as well, and he didn't know why. He'd get the strangest thoughts, like how pretty she was, or how her eyes shined fiercely when she was training, or how kind and caring she was to all of them. He'd wonder what her hair felt like, or what she was doing at random moments, and he'd slap the back of his head from shock he was thinking things like that and trying to get them to leave. When she smiled at him - gosh. When she aimed a smile at him specifically, his brain would go to mush, and his heart and gut would tingle and buzz in excitement, and he'd have to bite his tongue to focus again.

Then came that night, when he had woken up with her watching over him, and then really came to his senses in her lap, so close he could feel the heat radiating from her body. She had started talking about her dad, and he had wanted to jump up and hug her. He wanted to hunt down the Kraang and make them pay for putting April through the pain of losing her father _again_. He wanted to bring her father back to him. And when she had done her best to comfort _him_ after he had learned about Master Splinter, waves of emotions and impulses had just flooded over him. He felt so, so . . . He couldn't describe it. He knew it was powerful, and felt a bit like gratefulness, and happiness, and amusement.

Later, he'd stare at April unnoticed. He'd get that overwhelming feeling he couldn't name again, and he'd get impulses that he had to fight hard not to follow through on, the scariest among them to hug her, to stroke her hair, and to kiss her.

He got that last one a lot, to his eternal embarrassment in his mind.

And late last night, he'd had realized it. He was in love. He was in love with April O'Neil. And upon coming to that conclusion, he had groaned so loudly he was surprised no one had woken up. Great. What was it about that girl that got people to fall head over heels for her? First Donnie, then Casey, and now him. It was just his luck he had figured out his feelings last.

So he was in love with a girl, for real this time. He was in dangerous, unknown territory. He'd almost rather have to infiltrate Dimension X. Almost.

But that didn't mean he wasn't gonna give it a shot. He had thought all night long, trying to come up with a plan. He had learned from Donnie. It wouldn't do to wait. It was so obvious, but he never said anything. How the Heck was he supposed to get anywhere if he didn't even have to courage to come clean? No, Leo was going to be upfront about it, and hope she didn't laugh in his face.

Which, in theory, was a great idea. But in practice? A lot harder. He opened his mouth several times as they sat it the tree house, but he just couldn't get the words to come out, and he'd close his mouth feeling like a coward and disappointed in himself.

"Leo?" April's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Hmm?" Leo mumbled intelligently.

"It's getting kind of dark. We should probably head back." April said, leaning away from him, to his disappointment.

Dark. Dark meant -

"No, wait. Let's stay out a little longer. I want to do something." Leo requested. He slipped away from the window and slid out the hole in the floor, using his hands to climb down. April followed him, curious.

Leo lowered himself delicately onto the ground, careful not to put to much weight on his leg before grabbing his crutch. He moved over to let April jump the last couple of steps, then grabbed her hand once more. She didn't protest, and squeezed it back. They walked along the side of the lake to the open filed that lay between the waters edge and the cliff walls. Leo immediately threw down his crutch and sat down, then laid back so he was looking up at the sky.

April giggled. "What're you doing?"

"Stargazing." Leo grinned, pointing up at the now cloudless, pollution free sky. April smiled back and to his infinite pleasure, laid down right beside him.

It was barely past sundown, but already the sky was full of stars. Leo had never seen so many before. In the city, all the light made it impossible to see more than a couple persistent stars that managed to shine through the smog. Out here, the stars had nothing to compete against and shined brightly against the dark navy blue sky. In the middle of it all, a full moon sat, gazing back down at the stargazers. Leo could see patterns in the sky, yet complete and utter randomness as a whole. The sky seemed so huge, the universe so vast. Leo knew it was infinite, but his mind couldn't comprehend that. There were whole other worlds out there, hidden in this starry sky, and he wanted to find them. Just stare at the sky until he could see it.

April shifting by his side brought him back down to Earth. Love first, bozo, exploration of the universe later.

Nervously, Leo snaked his arm around April's and gently laced his fingers with hers. She hadn't pulled away before, but he was afraid this time she would. He wasn't merely guiding her, there was no reason for him to hold her hand. April looked over to him in surprise, but made no move to shake him off.

April had never felt like this before. There was a feeling of contentment inside her, being out here in the chilly fall air staring up at the stars. And, for a reason she couldn't quite identify, Leo was part of that feeling. It wouldn't have felt right without him beside her.

Leo was a puzzle. Lately, something about him had been drawing her in. Ever since that night by the fire, something had changed in the dynamics between them. She could feel it, and she bet Leo could as well. Leo had always been a close friend to her, but now, something had shifted inside her. She found him captivating her thoughts; memories of him training, watching that show of his with a silly grin, those eyes staring into hers. His eyes. His eyes made frequent appearances in her mind. Leo's eyes were a deep sapphire blue that shone like gems when he was excited. They were piercing, and when he locked eyes with her and smiled, they glittered like he was in on a joke only he knew. His eyes were beautiful, to say the least.

She felt more towards Leo now than she had ever felt to anyone ever, even Casey and Donnie.

Yeah, she knew about Donnie's crush on her, and at a time she thought it was cute and thought she may have had one too. But it had passed, and she hadn't wanted to keep Donnie's hopes up. She didn't know how to break it to him, though, that what he wanted from her wasn't going to happen. Then Casey had come along, and April had started hanging out with him. He was a jerk most of the time, but he had his moments, and April had started liking him. Donnie, perceptive ninja he was, had obviously picked up on these vibes, and had become hostile towards Casey. April knew it was a cowards way out, and possibly sleazy, but since then she had made a point to hang out with Casey, and hoped Donnie would give up on his crush.

It didn't work that way. Hanging with Casey had helped her with her feelings, and she had realized that while she cared for him, it wasn't like that. Casey was a good friend, maybe an annoying older brother, but not a boyfriend. Same with Donnie. Best friend and brother? Definitely! Crush? No, not really. It just didn't click with either of them.

With Leo, something felt right. It was like something had flicked on, something April hadn't even known was off. It filled her with a warm glow that felt so perfect. When Leo was around, she felt warm and safe and happy. She'd almost call it bliss. It had taken her a week, an alien invasion, and a night by the fireplace, but April had finally begun to realize she had feelings for the leader in blue, feelings of love.

"Look!" Leo said excitedly, pointing up at the sky. April looked up just in time to catch sight of a shooting star.

"Whoa! Amazing!" April smiled, and, in a flash of boldness, scooted even closer to Leo. The grip on her hand tightened briefly in a squeeze, then became loose and gentle again.

"Make a wish." April teased.

Leo smiled and sat up. "I already have. And I'm hoping it comes true."

April sat up as well, and turned her head to face him. "What is it?"

Leo shook his head. "I can't tell you. Then it might not come true."

April frowned, thinking that was all, but Leo had only stopped for breath.

"But," he continued, "I could show you. If you let me." Leo leaned in closely, like he was about to share a secret. April could feel and smell his breath, warm and minty with a hint of spice. A lump had suddenly formed in her throat, and she couldn't speak, so she simply nodded.

Leo slowly lifted his hand and laid it on her cheek, cupping the back of her head. He looked her dead in the eyes, and pulled her closer to him, leaning in ever closer. He was so close; he could have counted each freckle on her cheeks. But that wasn't his mission. He stopped pulling her, and instead slowly brought his lips to meet hers.

They were soft, softer than anything he had ever felt before. They were small, especially in comparison to his oversized mouth, but to him, they fit just right against his.

He felt a warm hand overlap his and press it tightly to April's cheek. That's when those soft, beautiful lips started pushing back, and kissing him. Leo's heart leapt. She was kissing him! She was kissing him back! They were kissing! Encouraged by the development, Leo pressed a bit harder, throwing more force and passion into it, and felt April smile and return the favor. He had obviously never kissed before, so he wasn't sure what more to do. Luckily, April had had some experience, and took the reins, opening and closing her lips. Leo followed her lead, and found that this felt so much better. He slipped his hand free of April's hand and onto April's waist, dragging her into an almost hug. He felt fingers hook onto and under the edge of his plastron, effectively anchoring him to the spot. He didn't care. A meteor could crash-land right next to them, and he would neither have noticed nor cared. He wasn't moving an inch from that spot. Sparks flew between them, energy coursing through both of them through the lips. April pushed herself deeper into the kiss using her grip on his shell for leverage, and Leo moaned with delight, never once letting go of her face. This was bliss, a furious, fiery, passionate bliss.

Too soon, far too soon, April gently pulled away, gasping for air. Leo felt a small string of disappointment of the withdrawal, as he could have kept going for a good while longer, being a humanoid turtle, but it was quickly overruled with the overwhelming feeling of excitement, caution, and love. Mostly love.

April smiled mischievously at him once she had regained her breath. "Did your wish come true?"

Leo smiled softly at her. "Almost. April, I - I love you." He said softly.

April blushed darkly. "Really?"

"Ye-yeah." Leo stuttered.

April leaned back in and gave him a quick, soft kiss on the lips. "I - I love you, too, Leonardo."

Leo's grin filled his entire face, and he glowed with pleasure. "_Now, _my wish has come true." He pulled April back in and kissed her deeply.

The Kraang may have been invading, the world going to pot, and everything fallen apart around them, but right here, right now, tangled in each other, kissing passionately, everything was perfect. Here in this cove, in this moment, they were both safe and sound.

**So what did you think? I personally think it could be better, but I want your opinions.**

**So that means that your mission is to review. The method of doing so? Click the little box, type what you think, and hit post.**

**Please?**

**Little rant here, but why do so few people ship Leo and April? You know how tough it is for me to find fanart or fanfic for them? Super hard! It's all Donnie or Casey, and every once in a great while Raph. I even found a pic of April and the Pulverizer! Fanart for Leo and April? Practically non-existent. So if you see any, direct me to it, please.**

**Okay. Rant over. Review and have a good day!**

**-Blue**


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